Women’s leadership program launched in Guyana
By Tangerine Clarke
Michelle A. Nicholas, New
York-based founder and CEO
of The NICO Consulting, Inc,
and co-creator of Guyana’s
25 Influential Women Leaders,
recently, launched the
Women’s Leadership Program
(WLP), during a recent reception
at the Ramada Georgetown
Princess Hotel under the
theme ‘Creating an Empire of
Women Leaders.’
Nicholas told Caribbean
Life that the program, with
the mission of advancing and
developing talented women
across practices, roles, and
locations, reflects 25IWLA’s
ongoing commitment to supporting
women at all stages of
their careers.
Nicholas expressed confidence
that the participants will
discover how to navigate and
leverage internal and external
networks, participate in peer
coaching and engage in community
service and community
building activities.
“The Women’s Leadership
Program is a community, not a
classroom,” Nicholas said. “We
are at the beginning of the
building of a movement, the
assembling of a force to be
reckoned with as we tap into
the immense knowledge, experience
Caribbean Life, F 22 ebruary 11-17, 2022
and capabilities of these
outstanding women and come
out on the other side of this
journey of self-discovery and
fortification of the strengths
inherent in each through supportive
efforts and expert executive
mentoring,” she noted.
“I look forward with pleasure
to the completion of this initial
growth process, where we
will have added another cohort
of stronger and more empowered
women to this empire of
women leaders.”
Recognizing the need for
initiatives such as the Women’s
Leadership Program, members
of the national, international,
and corporate community
joined and shared their commitment
to the advancement
of gender equity and women’s
leadership in Guyana.
Nicholas, along with Lyndell
Danzie-Black, and managing
director, Cerulean Incorporated,
and co-creator — said the
Women’s Leadership Program,
a 10-month imitative will
address the issue of women’s
historical under-representation
Some Women’s Leadership Program participants along with co-creator Lyndell Danzie-
Black and Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud. MHSS
in leadership positions.
With a cohort of only 25
women annually, the program
will provide a safe space, mentors,
training, opportunities,
networking, and a community
for its participants to be and
feel empowered as they create
positive change in themselves
and the world, she said.
“Women are the driving
force behind our economics
and enabling the growth of one
woman can impact the lives
of many more. It is an honor
to further impact the lives of
women through the WLP, particularly
now as women are
taking the lead in adjusting
to the new normal by finding
innovative and profitable ways
to keep on serving and elevating
their communities,” said
Lyndell Danzie-Black.
Guest speaker at the launch,
Barbados’ Minister of Tourism
and International Transport,
Senator Lisa Cummins,
encouraged the beginning of
the conversation on gender
equity among girls and boys.
“There has to be change in
perspective by the men who are
around us, who support us and
lead with us, that must also
be for her,” she said. Senator
Cummins, while sharing experiences
as a woman professional,
said that there was excellence
and leadership in women,
and it was on the basis of merit,
performance, and capabilities.